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Where to Begin: American Westerns

A list of 75 essential American* Westerns, ranked by ease of accessibility and content. 

*American director and/or primarily shot in America, with a predominately American cast

Major Directors: 
- John Ford, John Ford, John Ford
- Howard Hawks 
- Clint Eastwood 
- Sam Peckinpah 
- Bud Boetticher
- Anthony Mann
- John Huston
- George Stevens 
- Kelly Reichardt
- Ethan and Joel Coen

Where to Begin: Screwball Comedies
Where to Begin: 100 Great Performances - Golden Age
Where to Begin: Great Directors 
Where to Begin: French New Wave 

Where to Begin: French New Wave - The Outer Banks
Where to Begin: Classic Era Noir 

  • My Darling Clementine

    1

  • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

    2

  • Red River

    3

  • Rio Bravo

    4

  • High Noon

    5

  • Stagecoach

    6

  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

    7

  • The Gold Rush

    8

  • The Big Country

    9

  • The Magnificent Seven

    10

  • The Ox-Bow Incident

    11

  • Shane

    12

  • The Gunfighter

    13

  • The Wild Bunch

    14

  • The Outlaw Josey Wales

    15

  • High Plains Drifter

    16

  • Paris, Texas

    17

  • Unforgiven

    18

  • There Will Be Blood

    19

  • No Country for Old Men

    20

  • Hell or High Water

    21

  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

    22

  • 3:10 to Yuma

    23

  • The Misfits

    24

  • Lonely Are the Brave

    25

  • The Lusty Men

    26

  • Hud

    27

  • El Dorado

    28

  • Blazing Saddles

    29

  • The Iron Horse

    30

  • The Wind

    31

  • The Big Trail

    32

  • Fort Apache

    33

  • Stars in My Crown

    34

  • Wagon Master

    35

  • The Furies

    36

  • Man of the West

    37

  • The Tall T

    38

  • Ride Lonesome

    39

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

    40

  • Oklahoma!

    41

  • Destry Rides Again

    42

  • Johnny Guitar

    43

  • Cat Ballou

    44

  • Giant

    45

  • Dances with Wolves

    46

  • Heaven's Gate

    47

  • Meek's Cutoff

    48

  • The Rider

    49

  • First Cow

    50

  • Broken Arrow

    51

  • Winchester '73

    52

  • The Naked Spur

    53

  • The Man from Laramie

    54

  • The Searchers

    55

  • Forty Guns

    56

  • Day of the Outlaw

    57

  • Midnight Cowboy

    58

  • Jeremiah Johnson

    59

  • The Shootist

    60

  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

    61

  • Buck and the Preacher

    62

  • Bad Day at Black Rock

    63

  • The Hired Hand

    64

  • One-Eyed Jacks

    65

  • Ulzana's Raid

    66

  • Sergeant Rutledge

    67

  • Dead Man

    68

  • Little Big Man

    69

  • Ride the High Country

    70

  • Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson

    71

  • McCabe & Mrs. Miller

    72

  • The Shooting

    73

  • The Ballad of Cable Hogue

    74

  • Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

    75